List of prime ministers of Japan facts for kids

The Prime Minister's Office, called the Naikaku Sōri Daijin Kantei.

Another view of the Prime Minister's Office.

The Prime Minister of Japan is the leader of the country's government. Think of them as the head of the Cabinet, which is the main team of ministers in charge of running the country. This page lists all the prime ministers of Japan since the job was created in 1885 with the first prime minister, Itō Hirobumi.

In the past, under an old constitution, the Emperor chose the prime minister. Today, under the current Constitution of Japan, the prime minister is chosen by the National Diet, which is Japan's parliament. After the Diet makes its choice, the Emperor officially appoints the prime minister to their role.

The shortest time anyone has served as prime minister was just 54 days, by Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni in 1945. The longest-serving prime minister was Shinzo Abe, who led the country for over eight years in total across two different terms.

The current prime minister is Shigeru Ishiba, who took office on October 1, 2024. The most recent former prime minister to pass away was Shinzo Abe, who died on July 8, 2022.

An Earlier Leader: The Daijō-daijin

Before Japan had a Prime Minister, there was a similar top job called the daijō-daijin (Chancellor of the Realm). This was an old title that was brought back for a short time during the Meiji era.

Chancellor of the Realm (1871–1885)

Portrait	Name	Term of Office	Emperor
	Sanjō Sanetomi (1837–1891)	13 September 1871 – 22 December 1885	Meiji

The office of Daijō-daijin ended in 1885, and the new position of Prime Minister was created.

List of Prime Ministers of Japan

Here is a list of all the prime ministers from 1885 to today. The list is divided by the era of the emperor who was reigning at the time.

List of Prime Ministers of Japan (1885–present)

#	Portrait	Prime Minister (Lifespan)	Term of Office	Party	Emperor (Reign)
Meiji Period (1868–1912)
1		Itō Hirobumi (1841–1909)	22 December 1885 – 30 April 1888	Independent	Meiji (1867–1912)
2		Kuroda Kiyotaka (1840–1900)	30 April 1888 – 25 October 1889	Military (Army)
—		Sanjō Sanetomi' (1837–1891) Acting	25 October 1889 – 24 December 1889	Independent
3		Yamagata Aritomo (1838–1922)	24 December 1889 – 6 May 1891	Military (Army)
4		Matsukata Masayoshi (1835–1924)	6 May 1891 – 8 August 1892	Independent
5		Itō Hirobumi (1841–1909)	8 August 1892 – 31 August 1896	Independent
—	During this time, Kuroda Kiyotaka was the acting prime minister.
6		Matsukata Masayoshi (1835–1924)	18 September 1896 – 12 January 1898	Independent
7		Itō Hirobumi (1841–1909)	12 January 1898 – 30 June 1898	Independent
8		Ōkuma Shigenobu (1838–1922)	30 June 1898 – 8 November 1898	Kenseitō
9		Yamagata Aritomo (1838–1922)	8 November 1898 – 19 October 1900	Military (Army)
10		Itō Hirobumi (1841–1909)	19 October 1900 – 10 May 1901	Rikken Seiyūkai
—	During this time, Saionji Kinmochi was the acting prime minister.
11		Katsura Tarō (1848–1913)	2 June 1901 – 7 January 1906	Military (Army)
12		Saionji Kinmochi (1849–1940)	7 January 1906 – 14 July 1908	Rikken Seiyūkai
13		Katsura Tarō (1848–1913)	14 July 1908 – 30 August 1911	Military (Army)
14		Saionji Kinmochi (1849–1940)	30 August 1911 – 21 December 1912	Rikken Seiyūkai
Taishō Period (1912–1926)
15		Katsura Tarō (1848–1913)	21 December 1912 – 20 February 1913	Independent	Taishō (1912–1926)
16		Yamamoto Gonnohyōe (1852–1933)	20 February 1913 – 16 April 1914	Military (Navy)
17		Ōkuma Shigenobu (1838–1922)	16 April 1914 – 9 October 1916	Rikken Dōshikai
18		Terauchi Masatake (1852–1919)	9 October 1916 – 29 September 1918	Military (Army)
19		Hara Takashi (1856–1921)	29 September 1918 – 4 November 1921	Rikken Seiyūkai
—	During this time, Foreign Minister Uchida Kōsai was the acting prime minister.
20		Takahashi Korekiyo (1854–1936)	13 November 1921 – 12 June 1922	Rikken Seiyūkai
21		Katō Tomosaburō (1861–1923)	12 June 1922 – 24 August 1923	Military (Navy)
—	During this time, Foreign Minister Uchida Kōsai was the acting prime minister.
22		Yamamoto Gonnohyōe (1852–1933)	2 September 1923 – 7 January 1924	Military (Navy)
23		Kiyoura Keigo (1850–1942)	7 January 1924 – 11 June 1924	Independent
24		Katō Takaaki (1860–1926)	11 June 1924 – 28 January 1926	Kenseikai
—	During this time, Interior Minister Wakatsuki Reijirō was the acting prime minister.
25		Wakatsuki Reijirō (1866–1949)	30 January 1926 – 20 April 1927	Kenseikai
Shōwa Period (1926–1989)
26		Tanaka Giichi (1864–1929)	20 April 1927 – 2 July 1929	Rikken Seiyūkai	Shōwa (1926–1989)
27		Hamaguchi Osachi (1870–1931)	2 July 1929 – 14 April 1931	Rikken Minseitō
—	During this time, Foreign Minister Kijūrō Shidehara was the acting prime minister.
28		Wakatsuki Reijirō (1866–1949)	14 April 1931 – 13 December 1931	Rikken Minseitō
29		Inukai Tsuyoshi (1855–1932)	13 December 1931 – 15 May 1932	Rikken Seiyūkai
—	During this time, Finance Minister Takahashi Korekiyo was the acting prime minister.
30		Saitō Makoto (1858–1936)	26 May 1932 – 8 July 1934	Military (Navy)
31		Keisuke Okada (1868–1952)	8 July 1934 – 9 March 1936	Military (Navy)
—	During this time, Interior Minister Fumio Gotō was the acting prime minister.
32		Kōki Hirota (1878–1948)	9 March 1936 – 2 February 1937	Independent
33		Senjūrō Hayashi (1876–1943)	2 February 1937 – 4 June 1937	Military (Army)
34		Fumimaro Konoe (1891–1945)	4 June 1937 – 5 January 1939	Independent
35		Hiranuma Kiichirō (1867–1952)	5 January 1939 – 30 August 1939	Independent
36		Nobuyuki Abe (1875–1953)	30 August 1939 – 16 January 1940	Military (Army)
37		Mitsumasa Yonai (1880–1948)	16 January 1940 – 22 July 1940	Military (Navy)
38		Fumimaro Konoe (1891–1945)	22 July 1940 – 18 July 1941	Independent
39				Taisei Yokusankai
40		Hideki Tojo (1884–1948)	18 October 1941 – 22 July 1944	Taisei Yokusankai
41		Kuniaki Koiso (1880–1950)	22 July 1944 – 7 April 1945	Taisei Yokusankai
42		Kantarō Suzuki (1868–1948)	7 April 1945 – 17 August 1945	Taisei Yokusankai
43		Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni (1887–1990)	17 August 1945 – 9 October 1945	Imperial Family
44		Kijūrō Shidehara (1872–1951)	9 October 1945 – 22 May 1946	Independent
45		Shigeru Yoshida (1878–1967)	22 May 1946 – 24 May 1947	Liberal
46		Tetsu Katayama (1887–1978)	24 May 1947 – 10 March 1948	Socialist
47		Hitoshi Ashida (1887–1959)	10 March 1948 – 15 October 1948	Democratic
48		Shigeru Yoshida (1878–1967)	15 October 1948 – 10 December 1954	Democratic Liberal
49				Democratic Liberal
50				Liberal
51
52		Ichirō Hatoyama (1883–1959)	10 December 1954 – 23 December 1956	Japan Democratic
53
54				Liberal Democratic
55		Tanzan Ishibashi (1884–1973)	23 December 1956 – 25 February 1957	Liberal Democratic
56		Nobusuke Kishi (1896–1987)	25 February 1957 – 19 July 1960	Liberal Democratic
57
58		Hayato Ikeda (1899–1965)	19 July 1960 – 9 November 1964	Liberal Democratic
59
60
61		Eisaku Satō (1901–1975)	9 November 1964 – 7 July 1972	Liberal Democratic
62
63
64		Kakuei Tanaka (1918–1993)	7 July 1972 – 9 December 1974	Liberal Democratic
65
66		Takeo Miki (1907–1988)	9 December 1974 – 24 December 1976	Liberal Democratic
67		Takeo Fukuda (1905–1995)	24 December 1976 – 7 December 1978	Liberal Democratic
68		Masayoshi Ōhira (1910–1980)	7 December 1978 – 12 June 1980	Liberal Democratic
69
—	During this time, Chief Cabinet Secretary Masayoshi Ito was the acting prime minister.
70		Zenkō Suzuki (1911–2004)	17 July 1980 – 27 November 1982	Liberal Democratic
71		Yasuhiro Nakasone (1918–2019)	27 November 1982 – 6 November 1987	Liberal Democratic
72
73
74		Noboru Takeshita (1924–2000)	6 November 1987 – 3 June 1989	Liberal Democratic
Heisei Period (1989–2019)
75		Sōsuke Uno (1922–1998)	3 June 1989 – 10 August 1989	Liberal Democratic	Akihito (1989–2019)
76		Toshiki Kaifu (1931–2022)	10 August 1989 – 5 November 1991	Liberal Democratic
77
78		Kiichi Miyazawa (1919–2007)	5 November 1991 – 9 August 1993	Liberal Democratic
79		Morihiro Hosokawa (born 1938)	9 August 1993 – 28 April 1994	New
80		Tsutomu Hata (1935–2017)	28 April 1994 – 30 June 1994	Renewal
81		Tomiichi Murayama (born 1924)	30 June 1994 – 11 January 1996	Socialist
82		Ryutaro Hashimoto (1937–2006)	11 January 1996 – 30 July 1998	Liberal Democratic
83
84		Keizō Obuchi (1937–2000)	30 July 1998 – 5 April 2000	Liberal Democratic
85		Yoshirō Mori (born 1937)	5 April 2000 – 26 April 2001	Liberal Democratic
86
87		Junichiro Koizumi (born 1942)	26 April 2001 – 26 September 2006	Liberal Democratic
88
89
90		Shinzo Abe (1954–2022)	26 September 2006 – 26 September 2007	Liberal Democratic
91		Yasuo Fukuda (born 1936)	26 September 2007 – 24 September 2008	Liberal Democratic
92		Tarō Asō (born 1940)	24 September 2008 – 16 September 2009	Liberal Democratic
93		Yukio Hatoyama (born 1947)	16 September 2009 – 8 June 2010	Democratic
94		Naoto Kan (born 1946)	8 June 2010 – 2 September 2011	Democratic
95		Yoshihiko Noda (born 1957)	2 September 2011 – 26 December 2012	Democratic
96		Shinzo Abe (1954–2022)	26 December 2012 – 16 September 2020	Liberal Democratic
97
98
Reiwa Period (2019–present)
99		Yoshihide Suga (born 1948)	16 September 2020 – 4 October 2021	Liberal Democratic	Naruhito (2019–present)
100		Fumio Kishida (born 1957)	4 October 2021 – 1 October 2024	Liberal Democratic
101
102		Shigeru Ishiba (born 1957)	1 October 2024 – Incumbent	Liberal Democratic
103

Timeline of Prime Ministers

Family Connections Between Prime Ministers

Sometimes, the job of prime minister has run in the family! Here are some interesting family connections between Japan's leaders.

See also

• List of prime ministers of Japan by time in office
• Lifespan timeline of prime ministers of Japan
• List of prime ministers of Japan by education
• List of prime ministers of Japan by home prefecture
• List of Japanese cabinets
• Deputy Prime Minister of Japan

Images for kids

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  The west side of the Prime Minister's office in Japan.

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  The east side of the Prime Minister's office.